Shadow of an Empire

*Visigoth Sack of Rome, 410 AD*

As the Visigoths, a Germanic tribe, surrounded Rome, they cut off trade going in and out of the great city. The people within the walls starved, because the trade was what had brought a majority of their food. They resorted to cannibalism just to be able to live another day, and the city descended into sickness and disorder. Soldiers and state officials were affected by this as well, but the soldiers were still used to keep order as best they could. The city had been greatly weakened and became vulnerable to attack, exactly what the Visigoths had planned. At the right moment, the leader of the Visigoths ordered to finally attack the city.
Rome was completely unprepared. Many of the soldiers were either too weak to fight or had died from the poor conditions within the city. Citizens couldn’t fight back from themselves also being severely weakened.

They stormed the entrances to Rome and began killing everyone they came across, taking whatever they wished and met little to no opposition. Some soldiers attempted to fight back, but the majority fled, leading to the defenseless citizens being put out of their misery by the Goth warriors. The slaves in Rome that had been bought or taken from Germany revolted against their masters, causing even more deaths of the suffering Romans. The siege of the city had been the first successful attempt in 800 years, and was a devastating psychological blow to those in both the Western and Eastern Roman Empires.

As the Visigoths and the now freed slaves moved farther into Rome, the soldiers and even some of the citizens made their way to the center of the Eternal City, as it had been called for centuries. Surrounded on all sides by the barbarians, many of the last gathering Romans began to lose hope, saying things like "Romae Consummatum est," which means "Rome is finished."
But among the soldiers who were had their heads down and some crying, was a glimmer of hope. A single soldier, barely able to be called a man at the age of 19, stood in front of the great sorrow with a face of bravery. He walked to a few of the armored men and put his hand on their shoulders, as well as handing them their swords. The men were confused at this seemingly delirious boy who was confident in the midst of chaos. The boy, whose face was covered in dirt and the blood of those he'd already defeated, looked at the crowd before him. He was met with attentive, but confused, faces of men who were far superior to him in years, but who seemed open to wisdom from any source, even him.

"Legionnaires," the boy soldier finally said, "your city is being taken from you, and yet you sit here doing nothing. The homes of those you swore to protect are being broken into and defiled by these barbarians, and yet you sit here doing nothing. Your friends and maybe even families are being slaughtered like livestock, and yet you sit here doing nothing. You also will soon be consumed by this enemy, and yet you sit here doing nothing! You are a Legion of Rome, and therefore you are Romans! And because you are Romans, you are also Rome, the Eternal City!"
The soldiers lifted up their heads, showing signs of a vigor that hadn't existed just moments before. Some were now standing, holding their swords and shields ready for combat.

The boy continued his speech, saying, "You're more than just a bunch of men in armor, you are the lifeblood of this great city. And when this city is destroyed, we will be the shadows of an empire! The shadows of an empire far grander than any before it and will remain grander than all others for the rest of time! Now I ask you, brothers, what are you!"

"Romans!" the soldiers yelled.

"Who are you?"

"Rome."

"Who are you!?"

"Rome!"

"WHO!? ARE!? YOU!?"

"ROME!"

The boy triumphantly looked on these now motivated men, who were prepared to fight to the death at any moment. Over and over they yelled "Roma sumus," which means "We are Rome." Even the citizens joined in, picking up some of the swords that were scattered on the ground and preparing to fight along with the soldiers. Smiling, the boy turned around just as a single Goth Warrior rounded a corner down one of the streets. Upon seeing him, the warrior started charging straight for the boy. But before he could reach him, one of the now motivated soldiers took out the single foe. The boy thanked him just as more warriors turned the same corner. Looking behind him, he saw that they were also pouring out of the other streets.

Raising his sword, the boy soldier yelled "For Rome!" He and other soldiers charged the flood of enemies before them, all chanting "Roma sumus" as if they were already victorious. The Romans and Visigoths finally reached each other, and the battle began. Sword met sword, axe met shield, and both axe and sword met skin. Blood spilt onto the Roman pavement they fought on, spattering the soldiers and warriors, painting them scarlet.
The battle lasted for several minutes, with the few Romans left causing a great deal of trouble for the Visigoths. But eventually, the inevitable happened. The Romans had been reduced to only a few, the boy not among them. Instead, the boy had died defending another soldier who had been stabbed in the leg. That soldier was up again and was in the small remaining crowd surrounded by the barbaric Visigoths. Many of the Germanic warriors, not seeing the small group as much of a threat anymore, began to leave. Soon, the few Romans were alone in the street. They all looked at each other, and seeing that the soldier the boy saved was injured, made a decision.

"You must save yourself," said one of the other soldiers. "You can't fight anymore. Run away, tell others what happened here. We'll go after those barbarians and give them one final fight, in the name of Rome!"

The injured soldier refused at first, but the kept insisting until he finally agreed. Wrapping up his bleeding leg, he limped his way down one of the streets, hearing the chant from earlier but far off. He kept going, checking every corner for another warrior. But instead of a warrior, he found a single horse, still dressed in its Roman armor. He mounted the beast and made his way quickly through the streets until he found one of the gates, and he finally left that city of death. He rode for hours, stopping only occasionally for water and berries he found. He kept going until, as luck should have it, he came across a very small and secluded town. When he dismounted outside one of the simple wood houses, he found welcome from the family that lived there.

They invited him in, feeding him and giving him rest. They gave him new clothes to wear, and he washed away the dirt and blood from his face. All physical evidence of the battle he had been in were now gone, but he still had a story to tell. After he'd been there for a few days, the family finally asked where he'd come from dressed for battle. He told them the entire story of the Visigoth siege of Rome, including the moment when the boy soldier stood among men and didn't cower. Though he didn’t know the boy, he referred to him as Augustus Novum, which means "A new Augustus," after the first emperor of Rome, because the boy had united all the soldiers of the city into an empire of men.

He concluded saying, "I am the last of the Shadows of the Empire, as Augustus Novum called us. And because of that, I bear the burden of spreading his story throughout what's left of the Empire. I must leave soon, to complete this task. I eternally thank you for your hospitality."

A few days later, the soldier left the family and made out for the next town that they'd pointed out to him. But on his way, he was attacked by a band of robbers. He fought hard to get away, but it was to no avail. He was felled by an arrow and knocked off his horse. As he was laying crippled on the ground, he spoke hoarsely through a bloody mouth his final words.

"I... am... Rome..." was all he could say before he breathed his last breath. The last of the Shadows of the Empire had finally died, and their story dying with him, save for a small family in a little-known village. The family passed on the story for generations, but as time went on, it was changed slightly. Eventually, it was forgotten and believed to simply be a Roman retelling of David and Goliath in the Bible. And from then on, the boy who had inspired amidst despair was forgotten forever.